LOS ANGELES, CA — The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate hearing on the confirmation of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):

“The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on Secretary-designate Janet Napolitano failed to address some of the most critical issues affecting the future of our nation’s immigration policy.  While the Secretary-designate generally acknowledged that our immigration system is broken, neither she nor the Committee highlighted the need to provide law-abiding tax-paying immigrants a path to earned citizenship.  In addition, there was no discussion of one of the most important tasks of the DHS – the responsibility to ensure that our naturalization system is fair and accessible to legal permanent residents who are eager to embrace the dream of U.S. citizenship.

“We urge Secretary-designate Napolitano, if confirmed, to help fulfill President-elect Obama’s promise of comprehensive immigration reform that brings undocumented workers out of the shadows and allows them to become full members of our society and democracy.  We also urge her to promote policies that will remove barriers that confront newcomers who pursue naturalization, particularly the exorbitant application fees that have made U.S. citizenship too costly for many legal permanent residents. 

“We are encouraged by the Secretary-designate’s overall commitment to improve the organization and operations of the DHS.  We hope she will focus on the changes needed in the operations of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to enhance the quality of service provided to naturalization applicants.  We urge her to promote practices that will greatly reduce applicant waiting times, prevent the recurrence of backlogs, and ensure that the newly-redesigned naturalization exam is implemented fairly.

“During the confirmation hearing, the Secretary-designate emphasized the need for effective and “smart” immigration enforcement measures as part of her efforts to protect national security.  We believe that comprehensive immigration reform and immigration service improvements should also be integral to these efforts, and we look forward to working with the Secretary-designate to achieve this goal.”